Owen K Waters – “The universe only exists when you are observing it,” or so the popular theory goes.

This theory is an offspring of quantum physics. It says that, because the observer affects the outcome of experiments, the observer is key to reality. The theory goes on to suggest that the universe only exists when you look at it; therefore you must be creating the universe from your consciousness.

This is actually not a new idea. The old Zen riddle, “If a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, then does it make a sound?” reflects the same style of thinking. It suggests that nothing happens in the universe without an observer being present.

There is some validity to this theory in that, at the deepest level of consciousness, you are Infinite Being. At that deepest level, you are that which creates the entire universe, and that which maintains it in motion. However, at the everyday, human level of consciousness, the universe exists and runs quite happily without human intervention, whether or not anyone is watching it. The tree makes a noise when it falls, whether or not any human observers are present at the time.

Take, for example, the Pleiades, the star cluster which is also called the Seven Sisters. Often, on a clear night, you can see the Seven Sisters twinkling in the sky, even though they are five hundred light-years distant. Because of that distance, you are actually observing where the Seven Sisters were five hundred years ago. It took that long for the light image to reach your eyes. Basically, you are observing history in the night sky, not the actual, current position of the stars. Continue reading →